Heartless

The small English bulldog waddled through the corridor, his nails clicking on the tile floor. He snorted and carried his favorite red ball in his mouth as he looked for someone to play with. The Sergeant smiled at him and reached down to scratch behind his ears. The bulldog settled with the man, following by his side as they wandered into the familiar room.

"Bringing Billy to work just so you don't have a reason to leave the lab, huh, Horatio?" the Sergeant asked as he walked into the Lieutenant's office.

The redhead chuckled and reached down to scratch behind the dog's ear. He took the ball and tossed it into the hall. The bulldog struggled to gain his footing on the slick tile surface as he chased after the ball.

"No, I didn't want to leave him home alone today, Frank," the redhead replied.

"Is he sick again?" the Sergeant inquired.

"No, he just looked so depressed when Jethro and I were leaving."

The Sergeant chuckled and shook his head. "Go figure, Horatio Caine has a soft spot for animals."

"So what have you got for me, Frank?" the redheaded Lieutenant inquired as he walked around his desk.

"Horatio, you might want to sit down for this," the Sergeant said.

The redhead looked at him apprehensively. He leaned against the front of his desk, still trying to read the expression on the other man's face. His silver haired lover walked in, followed closely by the English bulldog. He immediately sensed the redhead's distress and walked to his side, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"What's going on?" the silver haired man inquired.

"I have some news for Horatio," the Sergeant explained.

"Well let's hear it," the Marine responded.

The Sergeant sighed and looked at his feet for a moment before he brought his gaze back to the redhead.

"I got a call from the county prison this morning," he quietly began. "Stetler committed suicide last night; stuffed a sock down his throat during the night."

The redhead looked at him in disbelief. "Stetler's dead?"

The Sergeant nodded his head. "His body's down in the morgue right now. Tom's doing the autopsy. I came to tell you so you wouldn't be shocked if you went down there and found old Rick chopped open on a table like an eighth grade science project."

The color seemed to drain from redhead's face. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his buzzing nerves.

"Rick Stetler's dead," he said again.

"Yeah, Tom's already sent me some of his findings," the Sergeant explained. "He preliminary exam revealed Stetler had recently been sodomized, and not nicely. There was also evidence of past healing, anal tunneling, as he put it. From what the other prisoners have told me, Stetler was quite popular when it came to sexual pleasing, though it sounds like he wasn't so into it."

The redhead's body began to shake. His lover wrapped his arms around him and held him close, rubbing his hand along his back. He was silent as he tried to fight off the mixture of emotions running through him.

"So Stetler was sodomized by the other inmates frequently, but it wasn't consensual?" the silver haired man inquired as he continued to soothe the redhead.

"Yeah, seems that way," the Sergeant said. "I know cop killers and rapists are popular ones in prison, but a cop rapist is something of a new breed in itself."

The redhead suddenly laughed. He laughed so hard his sides cramped and his eyes watered. He shook his head as he brushed the tears away.

"Ha, an eye for an eye," he said as he continued to laugh. "Fucking Stetler thought he could control me, harass me, and humiliate me, but it didn't work. Now he's everybody's trick. He's the fool. He's dead because he couldn't take the same pain I endured. He's forever going to burn in hell because he was weak. I stayed strong, held my head high, and I didn't let him control me. Now I control him. He couldn't live with the pain of what he did." He laughed again as new sorrow filled tears began streaming down his face.

His lover held him close and kissed his cheek, whispering to him.

"He'll never hurt anyone ever again. He's gone for good."

"He probably suffered for awhile," the redhead whispered in response. "I mean if there was evidence of tears that had healed over this was something that was ongoing for awhile."

The silver haired man looked deep into the redhead's watery blue eyes.

"You feel sorry for him, don't you, Horatio?" he whispered.

The redhead shook his head. "No," he whispered, "I know I should feel sorry for him, but I don't. I feel no compassion for that man. For once, I'm glad to hear someone's dead."

The silver haired man held his face and tenderly kissed him.

"It's alright," he whispered, "I'm glad to know I'm not the only heartless one."